A multiplex PCR method was developed and used to determine the infection rate of Kneallhazia solenopsae in individual Pseudacteon curvatus flies in north-central Florida. Among P. curvatus flies infected with K. solenopsae, 2 amplicons were produced, one of 800 nucleotides from the P. curvatus 18S rRNA gene, and one of ...

Two new species, Platylomia constanti Lee, sp. nov. and Platylomia maxima Lee, sp. nov., of the Platylomia spinosa species group are described from Luzon, Philippines. These new species are distinguished from their congeners by the combination of the following characters: larger body, long operculum, wide abdomen, presence of infuscation only ...

The genus Onesia (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is essentially Australasian/Oceanian and Palaearctic Regions in distribution. Two new species of the genus from China are described, viz. Onesia dynatophallus Xue & Bai sp. nov and Onesia franzaosternita Xue & Dong sp. nov. A key to Onesia species in China and a map of ...

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, (Insecta: Hemiptera: Psyllidae), has been identified as a damaging pest and an efficient vector of the plant infecting bacterium (Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus) which is strongly associated with the disease Huanglongbing (HLB), known as 'Citrus greening disease'. Huanglongbing has caused extensive economic losses in ...

Phorid flies are well known myrmecophilic organisms and are often parasitoids of ants. In some cases, phorids live commensally with ants, with the colony offering protection and/or feeding opportunities. In this study we examined the phorid Commoptera solenopsidis in association with a new host species, Pheidole dentata. An ethogram was ...

Black carpenter ants, Camponotus pennsylvanicus (DeGeer), are nearly ubiquitous in North American forests. These ants are documented as predators of red oak borer, Enaphalodes rufulus (Haldeman), a native longhorn beetle that experienced an unprecedented population increase synonymous with an oak decline event in the oak hickory forests of the Ozark ...

Brazilian peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi, Anacardiaceae) is a perennial tree native to Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. The plant was introduced into the USA before 1900. Originally grown as an ornamental, Brazilian peppertree is now considered an noxious plant in Hawaii and Florida, where it is ranked among the most important ...

The red palm mite, Raoiella indica Hirst, an important pest of coconut, banana, and date palms is a new invasive pest in the Western Hemisphere. The red palm mite (RPM) has been observed attacking bananas and plantains in Dominica and in Florida (M. A. Hoy, A. Cocco, personal observation). In ...

Antrusa montecristiensis, a new species of Dacnusini from Montecristo island (Italy), is described, illustrated, and compared with allied species. Specific keys of the genus Antrusa for the West Palaearctic region are provided. The preimaginal phases and the venom apparatus of A. curtitempus Fischer, Tormos, Docavo & Pardo, are described, illustrated, ...

The pink hibiscus mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green), is a highly polyphagous pest that invaded southern Florida in 2002 and is now widely established throughout most of the state. Although Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. is a preferred and economically important host of M. hirsutus, the susceptibility and expression of feeding symptoms by ...

Parasitoid releases against the birch leafminer Fenusa pusilla (Lepeletier) (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae) in eastern North America began in 1974, with releases in eastern Canada, followed by others in the Middle Atlantic States and New England. Of 4 parasitoids released, only 1, the ichneumonid Lathrolestes nigricollis (Thompson), established and spread widely. Studies ...

The West Indian sweetpotato weevil Euscepes postfasciatus (Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a major pest of sweetpotato Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam (Solanales: Convolvulaceae) in some countries. In order to improve mass-rearing for an eradication program employing the sterile insect technique (SIT), optimal population density of E. postfasciatus in an artificial diet ...

Long term trapping studies of the invasive moth Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg) were conducted at various latitudes from Puerto Rico to South Carolina. Three flight periods per year were identified at the 5 temperate sites studied, which covered the majority of the infested range on mainland United States. In general, the ...

The Aradidae of Louisiana are poorly known, with only 5 species reported from the state. We examined 251 adult flat bugs from Louisiana in the Louisiana State Arthropod Museum, confirming the presence of 4 species (Aradus falleni Stal, Acaricoris ignotus Harris and Drake, Notapictinus aurivilli (Bergroth), and Mezira sayi Kormilev) ...

The application of juvenile hormone (or chemical analogs, such as methoprene) to newly emerged adult male fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) represents a promising method to improve the efficiency of the Sterile Insect Technique against economically important species. This procedure has been shown to accelerate male sexual maturity in species with ...

The distribution of the eggs of the African mopane psyllid Retroacizzia mopani on the mopane tree Colophospermum mopane leaves was studied in the field and in the laboratory by observations and scanning electron microscopy. R. mopani eggs were observed and collected from the host plant, on which the nymphs live ...

The genus Sisyrnodytes Loew, 1856 is reviewed and the Afrotropical species revised. A key for the separation of species is presented and the fauna is discussed with respect to available distributional and biological data. The following Afrotropical species are described as new: aethes (South Africa), ausensis (Namibia), dasykylon (South Africa, ...

Six new species of the ichneumonid genus Aneuclis are described
from South Africa: A. laminosa sp. n., A. lanternaria sp. n., A. larga
sp. n., A. lasciva sp. n., A. lugubris sp. n., and A. vannoorti sp. n. A
key to known Afrotropical species of Aneuclis is provided.

The genus Anodontoceras Yukawa is newly recorded from the Afrotropical Region and Anodontoceras harrisi sp. n. is described from South Africa. The new species is most closely related to A. saigusai Yukawa, which is of East Palaearctic/Oriental distribution. The female of A. saigusai is described for the first time. New ...

The fossil record of spiders as currently known is briefly
reviewed, with special reference to Africa. The second specimen of
Triassaraneus andersonorum Selden in Selden et al. 1999 is described
from a different locality in the Triassic (Carnian, c. 225 Ma) Molteno
Formation of South Africa.

The basommatophoran family Physidae possesses a remarkable but little known set of muscles called the "physid musculature". Using Physa acuta as a model, this musculature was shown to be anatomically complex and associated in places with the columellar muscle. The physid musculature has two main components, the physid muscle sensu ...

Background. Pharmacological prophylactic anticoagulation in many
countries, including South Africa, is under-prescribed, which
unfortunately results in unacceptable morbidity and mortality in a
substantial number of patients.

Background. Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leuco-encephalopathy (CADASIL) is a hereditary autosomal dominant non-atherosclerotic nonamyloid cerebral arteriopathy. The disease was identified in 1993. We are not aware of reports in the literature of its occurrence in South Africa, and we present the clinical and laboratory features of ...

Objectives. To derive and validate a simple formula for birth
weight based on symphysis-fundal height (SFH) measurement during labour,
and to determine a useful SFH cut-off value for prediction of birth
weight [greater than or equal to]4 000 g.

Background. Stunting continues to be a child public health concern
in many African countries, including South Africa. This study uses data
from the Birth to Twenty study, held in Johannesburg, to investigate a
range of household-level socioeconomic and social support predictors of
stunting in children aged less than 30 months.